Home Office

Migrant Workers: Domestic Service

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (HL783), whether they have now considered the judge's remarks made during Taiwo v Olaigbe and another [2016] UKSC 31; if so, what is their assessment of them; and if not, when they plan to do so.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has provided strong protections for overseas domestic workers, including giving them the right to change employers during the six-month period for which they are admitted. There are no current plans to amend the Modern Slavery Act, but we keep the measures in the Act under review.

Department for Education

Prisoners: GCSE

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 8 July (HL849), what is the difference in the rate of GCSE attainment between prisons where education is provided by the Offender Learning and Skills Service and the Skills Funding Agency, and privately managed prisons responsible for providing education under their contract with the National Offender Management Service.

Lord Nash: The Department for Education does not publish a rate of attainment for prison education provided by the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS). The Ministry of Justice also does not collect this information for offenders in the privately managed prisons responsible for providing education under their contract with the National Offender Management Service. The volume of offender achievements by level in 2014/15 for prison education provided by OLASS is shown in the table below.Adult (18+) Offender Achievement by Level (2014/15)  Level2014/15Total Offender Students84,900Below Level 2 (excluding English and maths) English and maths Full Level 2 Full Level 369,700 21,100 10,600 -Level 2 Level 3 Level 4+ No Level Assigned32,700 200 - 3001) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.2) Figures for English and maths (previously Skills for Life) include GCSEs, Functional Skills, Adult Basic Skills Certificates including ESOL Certificates, and Qualifications and Credit Framework Certificates and Awards in English and maths. We are committed to improving the quality of education across the prison estate. The Government has accepted all the recommendations made by Dame Sally Coates in her recent independent review of prison education. The Department for Education and Ministry of Justice will continue to work together to implement these recommendations.

Children's Centres

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 1 August (HL1311), what progress has been made so far in relation to the consultation on the future of Sure Start; whether they intend to publish the result of that consultation; and if so, when.

Lord Nash: The Prime Minister has been clear that tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, will be a priority for this Government. We will consider future policy on children’s centres as part of this. We will provide further detail in due course and will make clear how stakeholders and members of the public can contribute.

Department of Health

Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the last meeting of the Public Health Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network was held, what actions have been taken since that meeting, and when the next meeting is scheduled to take place.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The last meeting of the Public Health Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network was held on 5 November 2014. A copy of the minutes from the meeting is attached. Following that meeting, on 6 November 2014, the Department published the results of the independent Campden BRI report on the Responsibility Deal labelling pledge. This showed that by the end of 2013, 79.3% of labels of bottles and cans of alcoholic drinks displayed unit content, the previous Chief Medical Officer’s lower-risk drinking guidelines and a warning about drinking when pregnant. On 19 December 2014 the Department also published the results of the monitoring of the Responsibility Deal pledge to remove 1 billion units of alcohol from the market by the end of 2015. This showed that the target had been exceeded by 0.3 billion units and was met two years ahead of schedule. There are currently no plans for a further meeting of the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network. However, the Government remains committed to partnership working.



RDAN MEETING 2014
(PDF Document, 162.5 KB)

NHS: Research

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish the NHS England Research and Development plan for 2016–17; if so, when, and if not, why not.

Lord Prior of Brampton: A draft version of NHS England’s Research and Development Plan for 2016/17 is currently out with stakeholders for information and comment. A copy of the final version will therefore be published on NHS England’s website in due course once it has been agreed and approved.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future of the European Health Insurance Card in the light of the EU referendum result.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As the Prime Minister stated on 20 July 2016, as long as we are a member of the European Union we will respect the rights and obligations of EU membership, therefore the current arrangements for European Health Insurance Cards remain in place. As we move to a new relationship with Europe, our guiding principle will be ensuring the best possible outcome for British people.

Thyroid Cancer: Drugs

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 July (HL1340), what assessment they have made of the relative clinical benefits of the drug lenvatinib as opposed to sorafenib.

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the Department of Health referred lenvatinib to NICE for a full technology appraisal.

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 July (HL1340), what date has been agreed by NICE for a full technology appraisal of lenvatinib.

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect lenvatinib to be available on the NHS for patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Ministers asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop technology appraisal guidance on the use of lenvatinb for the treatment of thyroid cancer on 22 July 2016. NICE plans to develop guidance on lenvatinib and sorafenib through the same technology appraisal and currently expects to publish draft guidance in October 2017.In the absence of NICE guidance, it is for commissioners to make funding decisions based on the available evidence and on the patient’s individual clinical circumstances.

Thyroid Cancer: Drugs

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to put in place to ensure that patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer can receive all effective clinical treatments currently available through EU authorisation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Changes to the process for evaluating cancer drugs were introduced at the end of July 2016 as part of the new arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). Under the new arrangements, all new cancer drugs are expected to be referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for evaluation through its technology appraisal programme. In some cases, NICE will recommend that the cancer drug is funded through the CDF, which enables further evaluation of its place in therapy. Drugs that have a European Union (EU) or United Kingdom marketing authorisation for radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer will therefore be reviewed under this process and if found to be clinically and cost effective will become established treatment within the National Health Service. The UK remains a member of the EU until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. EU law continues to apply and ongoing compliance with EU law is considered important in facilitating orderly transition, for negotiating purposes, and to offer certainty in the meantime. As long as the UK is subject to EU law, the present arrangements remain in place.

Obesity: Children

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their plan to reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity, in what practical ways they intend to increase physical activity amongst children to reduce obesity.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government’s Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action published on 18 August 2016 sets out the actions we are taking to support children and young people to meet the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officer’s daily recommended levels of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. A copy of the plan is attached. This includes doubling the Primary PE and Sport Premium from September 2017, a new interactive online tool to help schools identify gaps in existing provision and recommend ways of increasing opportunities for children to be active, and access to high quality sports and physical activity programmes for all primary schools in England. This year we are investing another £1 million in the Change4Life Sports Clubs programme which targets the less active children. In addition, we will develop a new, voluntary healthy rating scheme available to all primary schools. It will recognise and encourage schools’ contribution to preventing obesity by helping children to eat better and move more. We will also be providing more guidance for schools about how they can work with the school nurses, health centres, healthy weight teams in local authorities and other resources, to help children develop a healthier lifestyle.



Childhood Obesity Plan 2016
(PDF Document, 408.75 KB)

Lyme Disease

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Prior of Brampton on 22 October 2015 (HL Deb, col GC37), what progress has been made in establishing across the country a network of NHS practitioners interested in Lyme disease.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We will be considering options for improving professional engagement on Lyme disease in light of the reviews on the diagnosis, treatment and transmission of Lyme disease, commissioned by the Department to inform future decision making. Public Health England continues to work with local authorities and primary care providers to raise awareness.

Obesity: Children

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat assessment they have made of the effectiveness of their plan to reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity, in the light of the absence of the regulation of advertising and price promotions in that plan.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The policies in the plan are informed by the latest research and evidence, including from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report Carbohydrates and Health, Public Health England’s evidence package Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, other government departments, debates in this House and various reports from key stakeholders including the Health Select Committee. We are confident that the measures we have announced will make a real difference and estimate could reduce childhood obesity rates by about a fifth (330,000) over the next ten years. Though we are clear in our goals and firm in the action we will take, the launch of this plan represents the start of a conversation, rather than the final word. A copy of Carbohydrates and Health and Sugar reduction: the evidence for action are attached.



Carbohydrates and Health
(PDF Document, 2.39 MB)




PHE Sugar Reduction
(PDF Document, 1.16 MB)

Diabetes

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why in some areas doctors will not prescribe the blood testing strips for use in devices intended to help control blood glucose levels.

Lord Prior of Brampton: There are no national restrictions on the prescribing of blood glucose testing strips to patients with diabetes. A variety of brands of blood glucose testing strips are listed in the Drug Tariff for general practitioners to prescribe for their patients as required. It is for local commissioners and clinicians to make decisions on how these strips should feature in the provision of diabetes services for their local populations.

Diabetes

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why it is not possible to get a device which keeps track of a diabetic's blood glucose levels for up to eight hours, or continuously, on the NHS.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence, taking into account national guidelines. This should include consideration of access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with Type 1 diabetes who might benefit from it.

Ministry of Defence

Middle East: Military Intervention

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been their total expenditure on military action in Syria and Iraq.

Earl Howe: From August 2014 to 31 March 2016, the net additional costs of counter-Daesh activity in Iraq and Syria were £265 million. These costs were met from a combination of the HM Treasury Special Reserve and the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP). The £265 million is split into £45 million in financial year 2014-15, and £220 million in financial year 2015-16.This activity was to support UK military activity to degrade and ultimately defeat Daesh. It has included airstrikes in support of coalition ground operations and airborne intelligence gathering operations in Iraq and Syria, as well as helping to train the Iraqi Security Forces and moderate Syrian opposition.

Military Aircraft: Training

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many fixed-wing jet trainees are projected to graduate from the Ascent Flight Training programme between 2016 and 2019; and when the programme is due to be fully up and running.

Earl Howe: It is anticipated that 118 fixed wing jet trainees will graduate from the Ascent Flight Training programme between 2016 and 2019. All elements of the recently contracted UK Military Flying Training System are due to be fully up and running by April 2019.

HMS Ocean

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the planned out-of-service date for HMS Ocean, and how her landing platform helicopter capabilities will be provided prior to the entry into service of HMS Prince of Wales.

Earl Howe: HMS OCEAN entered service in 1998 with an expected in service life of 20 years and she will decommission in 2018. The Strategic Defence Security Review 2015 made provision to augment the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and maximise their ability to support amphibious operations. Prior to the carriers being brought into service, other Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships will provide support to amphibious operations.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance the MoD will give to serving and ex-service personnel to sue Public Interest Lawyers and their individual partners for the stress caused by pursuing compensation claims.

Earl Howe: Although we are deeply concerned about the stress which can be caused to members of the Armed Forces by false allegations, we are not aware of any legal actions of the kind referred to. We welcome the decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to call members of Public Interest Lawyers, which has now closed, to account for their conduct while pursuing allegations against members of the Armed Forces.

Warships: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the refits of HMS Dauntless and HMS Lancaster will commence.

Earl Howe: On current plans, the refit for HMS LANCASTER will commence in mid 2017 and the refit for HMS DAUNTLESS is scheduled for the end of 2017.

Frigates

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which five Type 23 frigates will be replaced by the new light frigate, and what are the planned out-of-service dates for each.

Earl Howe: The General Purpose Frigate programme is at a very early stage and the timetable for its entry into service has yet to be determined. On current planning assumptions the out of service dates for the Type 23 frigates are: ShipOut of Service DateHMS Argyll2023HMS Lancaster2024HMS Iron Duke2025HMS Monmouth2026HMS Montrose2027HMS Westminster2028HMS Northumberland2029HMS Richmond2030HMS Somerset2031HMS Sutherland2032HMS Kent2033HMS Portland2034HMS St Albans2035